Air erected gyrovertical



Ju1y16, 1940.

L. F. CARTER AIR ERECTED GYROVERTICAL I'NVENTOR grille/ ariel' HIS (TORNEY July 16, 1940. l.. F. ARTER 2,207,717

AIR ERECTED GYROVERTICAL Filed Nov. 17. 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR LeBsk-Zze f'O rie?" Patented July 16, l1940 PATENT OFFICE 2,207,717 AIR ERECTED GYROVBTICAL Leslie F. Carter, Leonia, N. J., assignor to Sperry Gyroscope Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a

corporation of New York Application November 17, 1936, Serial No. 111,181

11 Claims.

This invention relates to gyroverticals or artiflcial horizons for moving vehicles, especially for aircraft.

While a simple, neutral gyrovertical with air erecting device, such as shown in the prior patent to Bert G. Carlson, #1,982,636, dated December 4, 1934, `for Air driven gyrovertical, is satisfactory for normal flight, I iind it desirable to provide means for eliminating the erecting force lo during turns of the'craft, where great accuracy is desired, and to eifect this purpose without touching or disturbing the gyroscope and without slowing down the rotor.

For erecting purposes, it is common to employ 15 a plurality of laterally directed air jets or slots which are differentially controlled by a pendulous shutter or shutters or other gravitationally responsive means. Where an electrically driven gyroscope is employed, the air supply to the jets is generated by a fan or other pump on the motor shaft, the air preferably being drawn through the motor to cool the same. In order that the cooling of the motor may not be aiected during the time that the aforesaid air jets are inoperative, I preferably provide additional exhaust ports, preferably of larger capacity than the erecting slots or ports and which are opened v at the time the erecting ports are closed, so that during that time an even greater quantity of air ,o is drawn through the motor vto cool the same. It will be understood that the auxiliary ports may also be opened at other times, such as when the gyro is caged, so as to secure maximum cooling and minimum load for the gyro motor except when necessary' to have an erection force on the gyroscope.

Referring to the drawings, in which I have illustrated one form my invention may assume:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section, partly in elevation, of an electrically driven gyrovertical with the exterior case omitted.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking down.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken approximately on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows. Y

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the gyro casing, showing the manual caging'device therefor in the open position.

5 Fig. 5 is a simpliiied wiring diagram.

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the caging n- .gers only, showing the same in the caged position.

Fig. 'I is a detail of the electro-magnet which 3 operates the shut-off shutter.

(Cl. 'I4-5) Fig. 8 is a detail of the operating knob for the locking device.

In the drawings I have shown a neutral gyroscope I universally mounted in a base ring 2 by means of horizontal trunnions 3, 3' in said base, 5 supporting gimbal ring 4 which, in turn,sup ports rotor bearing casing 5 on horizontal trunnions (not shown) at right angles to trunnion 3. The gyroscope rotor 6 is shown as journaled on a normally vertical spinning axis by means 10 of bearings 1, 1 within said caslnmlhe rotor proper being hollowed out to make room for the spinning motor 9. Said motor is shown as having its armature IIJ mounted directly on the rotor shaft II, while the eld I2 is secured within the l5 upper end of the casing 5.

Adjacent the lower end of the shaft I mount a blower I3, shown as a two-stage blower, which draws air downwardly over. the armature and through holes I4 in the web I5 which connects 20 the rim of the rotor on the hub 50 on shaft II. The air thence passes through a plurality of aprertures IE into the cylindrical chamber II within downward extension II. During normal straight ight, the air is discharged laterally 25 through a plurality of pairs of oppositely directed slot-like orices I8, I8' and I9, I9'. Partially overlying said orices are a plurality of pairs of pendulous shutters 20, and 2|, 2|', said shutters having lower knife edges 22 which normally 30 partially overlie the orices or ports. One pair of pendulums is shown as mounted on cross shaft 23 and the other on cross shaft 23', the pendulums being xed to said shafts and the shafts being journaled in jewel bearings 24 provided in down- 35 wardly extending brackets 25 on the casing 5.

It will readily be seen that upon relative inclination about a given axis between a given pair of pendulums and the gyroscope, the air flow through the adjacent .ports will be differentially unbalanced, resulting in an erecting torque on the gyroscope about an axis at right angles to the axis of inclination, thus erecting the gyroscope in a straight path.

For shutting off the erecting force during turns due to all of said ports or at least due to those ports most aiiected by turnsiwhich are obviously those adjacent the pendulums whose pivotal axes lie fore and aft on the craft), I provide within the cylindrical chamber Il a shut- 5o ter member 26 rotatably mounted on a vertical axis by means of a pintle 2l. Obviously said erecting force may be shut off during the presence of, any acceleration forces, whether due to turns or change in linear velocity of the craft. sa

overlie, in one position, each of the ports I9, I9' and I8, I8' (see Figs. 2 and 3). Also secured to said pintle 21 isa centralizing coil spring 30,'

normally tending to turn said shutterin a clockwise direction in Fig. 2, one end of said spring being anchored to iixed pin 3l. Also secured to said pintle is a soft iron amature 32 (Figs. 2,

10 3 and '1). The ends of said armature lie adjacent pole pieces 33 of electro-magnet 34. When the magnet is excited, the amature is turned in a counter-clockwise direction against the tension of the spring to approximately the position shown in Fig. 2, in which one edge of an arm 28 abuts against one end of the upper pole piece 33.

In this position, it will be seen, all the erecting ports are closed. When, however, the magnet is de-energized, th -spring rotates the amature clockwise suiiiciently to open said ports. At the same timedownwardly -directed vports 35 in the bottom plate 54 for the chamber l1 are closed so that all, or a greater part of, the exhaust air must emerge through the erecting ports to secure maximum erecting eiect. Preferably the auxiliary ports 35 are of larger area or capacity than the erecting ports so that when opened, air will discharge from thechamber I1 more freely, thus causing a greater amount-of cool air to pass through the motor and permitting it to be driven with less current. Thus, during this time the 'motor, instead of being heated 'up rapidly :as

l would be the case if all exhaust of air were shut oi, is actually cooled faster than when the erect-I ing air is escaping. It is interesting to note that the opening of the large auxiliary ports 35 would substantially decrease, if not substantially eliminate, the erection force due to air ow through thevnarrow ports I8, I8', I9, I9' even though the 40 latter were not simultaneously closed since'the opening of the larger ports by-passes the larger portionofthe air ow and directs it downwardly 1n a neutral direction in which it exerts no torque about the gimbal axes of the gyroscope.

For convenience in assembling, the magnet unit 34 and the pintle 21 and connected parts are all mounted on a detachable base plate 54 which may be secured to the extension I1' by means of bolts vpmng through holes in said plate 50 and in anges 56 on the bottom of the extension l1', thus forming a detachable closure for the open end of chamber I1. On said plate is also mountedrrthe U-shaped bracket 51 which supports the upper bearing for the pintle 21. Cur- .55 rent may-be led into the magnet 34, when in position,by means of contacts 59 in the Wall of 'chamber I1, with which spring ngers 59 on the magnet contact to lead current into the magnet coil. Below plate 54 is secured a second plate 60 which carries the post 40, the exhaust ports 35 and 35' in the'two plates aligning as shown in 'I'here are' other circumstances also, under which an erecting force is not necessary, such as whenl the gyroscope is caged, that is, either when the airplane is on the ground or when the aviator isnot using it as a base line. I hence also iind it desirable to throw open the auxiliary ports during the time the gyro is caged.

The type of cage shown herein is the four- `ngered type, such as disclosed in the prior application of E. W. Chafee and H. Murtagh, now Patent No. 2,162,698, dated June 29, 1939. -It

comprises four fingers 36, 31, J9 and 29 pivoted rection in Fig. 4, the fingers are closed, as shown in Fig. 6. They will remain closed until the knob is moved a short distance in the opposite direction due to spring pressed detent 54' engaging a depression in shaft 52, when they will be opened by the action of the spring 4|.

For operating the shutter 26 automatically from the caging means, I have shown a second lug 53 on shaft 52 which is rotateddownwardly as the ngers are closed, thus closing a switch 48 in circuit lwith the electro-magnet 34, thus shutting off the erecting ports and opening the auxiliary ports at that time. I have also shown a switch 49 in the wiring diagram in parallel to the switch k4 8 for exciting the magnet 34 during turns. It

will be understood that this switch may be operated manually by the aviator or from any suitable turn detecting device, such as a turn indicator, or otherwise.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiment of. this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illus trative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a gyrovertical for aircraft having an electrically spun rotor, air blast means supplied from the spinning rotor for erecting the gyroscope including a plurality of ports and gravitationally responsive shutters therefor, means for shutting oif -the air supply to all of said ports simultaneously, and means for simultaneously by-passing the air ow from said rotor so that the cooling of the motor is not decreased.

2. In a gyrovertical for aircraft, air blast means for erecting the gyroscope including a plurality of ports and gravitationally responsive means therefor, the air blasts from which .exert'erect-y ing torques about a horizontal axis of thegyroscope upon inclination, at least one auxiliary exhaust port the discharge from which exerts no torque on the gyroscope, and means for rendering either said rst or said second mentioned port operative and the other port simultaneously in operative for the purpose specified.

3. A gyrovertical as claimed in claim 2, in`

motor driven blower means for supplying air for 3 5. In a gyrovertical i'or aircraft and the like. from the battant into said hollow extension commeans operable at will for casing the gyroscope,

a set of air discharge ports and cooperating gravitationally responsive means for erecting the 5 gyroscope, an auxiliary set oi normally closed discharge ports, and means brought into operation by said first named 4means for opening said auxiliary ports.

6. In a gyrevertical, a hollow cylindrical extension having a plurality of oppositely directed ports therein and cooperating pendulous means for erecting the gyroscope, a shutter member ro.

tatable about the axis of said extension and operating to close all of said ports in one position and to open them in another position, and electrical means operable from a distance for so rotating said shutter.

7. In a gyrovertical, a hollow cylindrical extension having a plurality of oppositely directed ports therein for erecting the gyroscope and a plurality of downwardly directed auxiliary ports, a

shutter member rotatable about the axis of said extension and operating to close all of said erecting ports and to simultaneously open all of said auxiliary ports, in one position, said shutter in the other position opening said erecting ports and closing said auxiliary ports, and electrical means operable from a distance for so rotating said shutter.

8. In a gyrovertical, a hollow cylindrical extension having a plurality of oppositely directed ports therein for erecting the gyroscope and a detachable shutter unit adapted to be inserted prising a e having additional ports therein, a shutter member movably mounted thereon and adapted to cover either one or the other set of ports, and an electro-magnet having its armature secured to said member to rotate the same at will.

9. In a gyrovertical for aircraft, means for caging or locking the gyroscope, an automatic erecting device for said gyroscope for maintaining it erect when unlocked, and means brought into action by operation of said caging means :for rendering said erecting means inoperative.

10. A gyrovertical as claimed in claim 5, having a second means for opening said auxiliary ports upon turning of the craft.

I 1l. In an air erected gyrovertical, a universally ounted rotor casing, an open end hollow extension thereon having a plurality of opposite laterally directed ports therein, cooperating pendulous shutters pivoted adjacent the respective ports for erecting the gyroscope, and an auxiliary shutter unit adapted to be inserted within said hollow extension comprising a base adapted to close said open end and having at least one downwardly directed by-pass port therein, a shutter member movably mounted on said base adjacent said by-pass port, means for biasing said shutter member in a position to normally close said by-pass port, and means controllable from without the gyroscope for displacing said shutter member to open said port temporarily.

I LESIJE F. CARTER. 

